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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25125223">Foolish Little Brothers</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/starlightwalking/pseuds/starlightwalking'>starlightwalking</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Mirkwood Cinematic Universe [7]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Hobbit - All Media Types</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Drunken Shenanigans, Friendship, Gen, Original Character-centric, POV Tauriel, Sibling Love, Tolkien Gen Week 2020</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 09:35:04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,026</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25125223</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/starlightwalking/pseuds/starlightwalking</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Tauriel and her friends round up their little brothers, who have gotten themselves drunk and into all sorts of trouble. Unfortunately, they're also drunk. This isn't the Guard's proudest moment.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Legolas Greenleaf &amp; Tauriel, Minor or Background Relationship(s), Mirkwood Elves &amp; Tauriel, Tauriel &amp; Original Character(s), Tauriel &amp; Ríros Orchalion (OC)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Mirkwood Cinematic Universe [7]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1814863</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Tolkien Gen Week 2020</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Foolish Little Brothers</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>For <a href="http://tolkiengenweek.tumblr.com/">Tolkien Gen Week</a> 2020, Day 2: Platonic Relationships!</p><p>It’s been a hot minute since I’ve written any Hobbit fic, and I missed it! This was an absolute blast to write :)</p><p>This is a very OC-centric fic, though it is from Tauriel’s POV. If you’ve read my past Hobbit fics, these OCs should be familiar...but if you lose track of who is who, check out the end notes for relationships! I’ve also created a series of all my fics where these OCs appear, called the <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/series/1814863">Mirkwood Cinematic Universe</a>.</p><p>Thanks to my lovely friend <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/JazTheBard/pseuds/JazTheBard">JazTheBard</a> for lending me their OC Ríros, Tauriel’s brother! He’s baby and I love him!! You can read more about Ríros in Jaz’s fic <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23913490">Archaeology</a> &lt;3</p><p>Set a century or two before the events of The Hobbit~</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"<em>Where</em> is Midhel," Úrphen demanded, slamming their palms down on the counter with more force than strictly necessary.</p><p>Tauriel finished her ale with one last gulp, holding up one hand in a silent command to <em>wait</em>. Then she let out a massive belch, causing Legolas to start out of his half-snore and nearly fall off his stool.</p><p>"<em>Much</em> better," Tauriel proclaimed, ignoring Legolas' glare. "Midhel, you ask? I have no idea."</p><p>Úrphen groaned, leaning their face on Tauriel's shoulder. "She's your second in command, you don't <em>know</em>—"</p><p>"We are <em>off-duty</em>," Tauriel reminded, patting them comfortingly on the back. "I don't have her on a leash!"</p><p>"Why d'you need her?" Legolas asked, squinting at Úrphen.</p><p>"Orelon has gotten ridiculously drunk, fallen into the fountain, and decided that stripping nearly naked is the best solution to his problem of sodden clothes," Úrphen mumbled. "And <em>I</em> have no control over him when he's like this. We need Midhel to drag her brother back to his rooms before he does something <em>stupider</em>, like waltz into the King's chambers singing spring-songs!"</p><p>"She doesn't have <em>him</em> on a leash, either," Tauriel said. "As if <em>you</em> could stop <em>your</em> brother when he's under the influence—"</p><p>Úrphen went white as a sheet. "Oh, <em>no</em>," they groaned. "Glándir—I left him and Ríros in charge of keeping him occupied while I found Midhel, but we've all been drinking—"</p><p>"You left <em>my</em> brother in charge of something?" Tauriel yelped, stumbling to her feet. "Ríros is a child—"</p><p>"He's two hundred," Legolas interjected.</p><p>"Like I said, a <em>child</em>—"</p><p>"And an idiot," Úrphen bemoaned. "Legolas, you're friends with Glándir—will you help us stop them from getting into any <em>more</em> foolishness?"</p><p>Legolas slid out of his seat and helped Tauriel to pull Úrphen upright. "I'm <em>your </em>friend, too," he said. "Of course I'll help."</p><p>"Good thing <em>we're</em> not as drunk as them," Tauriel proclaimed as they swayed like sailors across the room. "They'll need our sober wisdom..."</p><p>The barmaid raised an eyebrow at that as she came over to clean up after them. Perhaps someone <em>else</em> ought to intervene before the whole of the Guard got into any more trouble...</p>
<hr/><p>True to Úrphen's fears, Orelon and his two "chaperones" were nowhere to be found upon return to the fountain. Glumly, Úrphen picked up Orelon's wet clothes, while Tauriel looked around frantically for any sign of her brother's uniform. She found only Ríros' outermost jacket, which was some small relief—at least he was not as nude as Orelon.</p><p>"This way," Legolas said, pointing to a pair of wet footprints on the stone. "At least, I hope it's them and not some other skinny dipper."</p><p>Unfortunately the tracks dried up a hundred or so paces from the fountain, but it was enough to point them in the right direction. Tauriel thought she saw a flash of red hair that belonged to her brother, but when she raced toward it she encountered only a rosebush. She pouted and lurched back to Legolas and Úrphen, some faint voice in the back of her mind warning her that she was not, perhaps, as sober as she thought. She elected to ignore it.</p><p>"<em>Glándir</em>!" Úrphen exclaimed, pointing to a figure slumped on a bench. Tauriel squinted: yes, it did seem to be him, his silver-blond hair splayed across his face and a deep snore rumbling from his chest.</p><p>"Get up, you oaf," Legolas said, prodding his friend. Glándir only twitched in his sleep: he was out like a lantern in the rain.</p><p>"No use," Úrphen bemoaned. "He'll wake up with an awful headache tomorrow, but he'd sleep through dragonfire right now."</p><p>"Well, he's not doing any harm," Tauriel said. "What about the other two?" She was more worried about her little brother than she wanted to admit.</p><p>"We can't just leave him here," Legolas protested.</p><p>"<em>You</em> drag him home, then," Úrphen retorted. "I'm glad to see my brother—not <em>well</em>, exactly, but safe—and I'm not leaving other people's brothers at risk of punishment, or worse. What if they fall off the side of one of those winding bridges? You ought to tell your father to put railings on those!"</p><p>"It would disturb the aesthetic," Legolas muttered, but he conceded the point. "Fine. I'll take Glándir home, you two keep looking for Orelon and Ríros. If I can get him settled and not pass out myself, I'll join back up with you."</p><p>"We're not <em>that</em> drunk," Tauriel proclaimed loudly, swatting him on the shoulder and nearly missing.</p><p>"Hmm," was all Legolas said before hefting the unconscious Glándir over his shoulder. It was a good thing his friend was practically feather-light, and the prince a strong-armed archer; for most such a feat would border on impossible.</p><p>"I'm more worried about Ríros than Orelon," Tauriel confessed to Úrphen as they trudged along. "Orelon's shame will overcome his nudity, at some point, but Ríros..."</p><p>"He'd get himself lost in his own home," Úrphen agreed.</p><p>"He <em>has</em>," Tauriel said, shaking her head. "Multiple times. He's far too young to be drinking."</p><p>"He's two hundred," Úrphen said. "You can't stop him."</p><p>"But Hithwen and Gwelonir could!" Tauriel threw her hands up in the air. Her and Ríros' foster parents were far too lenient with the little ellon of the house.</p><p>Tauriel had been nearly of age when their birth parents died and Legolas rescued the two of them, but Ríros had only been a baby—he barely remembered his first mother and father, strong-willed Arasseth and Merlion Orchal the gentle giant. Tauriel loved her foster parents, but she knew who she was. In a way, Ríros taking the patronymic "Orchalion" was both blessing and curse: a means of remembering their father, while at the same time a reminder he would never know him.</p><p>"Gwelonir could never refuse him anything," Úrphen dismissed, and Tauriel hated that they were right. Raising a child from infancy made Gwelonir soft in a way he only was with "poor little Ríros" and his birth daughter Iesteth. Not that Tauriel resented her foster father—far from it—but she had always been held to a higher standard than her siblings. <em>She</em> hadn't tasted a drop of alcohol until she was nearly three hundred! Well, at least not with <em>permission</em>.</p><p>"And Hithwen is out on a visit to Rhosgobel," Tauriel said glumly. Her sterner-willed foster mother was not around to put a halt to any of this nonsense. Which meant, of course, that <em>she</em> ought to have been the one watching Ríros...could she truly not have a moment to herself with friends? She had recently been promoted to a lieutenant of the Guard, deputy to Captain Garaveth herself, and she'd thought that a night spent drinking with Legolas had surely been <em>earned</em> at this point...</p><p>"Regardless, it's <em>all</em> our foolish little brothers who are in trouble," Úrphen grumbled. "Glándir and Orelon have no age-related excuses, and this time I don't believe it was Ríros who began the trouble."</p><p>"No," Tauriel sighed, "he just made it worse."</p>
<hr/><p>It was not long before they found Orelon, nude but for his too-tight, still-wet leggings—he was hard to miss as he drunkenly serenaded the healer Gailien, who waited with folded arms and a cross expression for him to finish and go about his way. Tauriel couldn't help but smirk at the sight: Gailien was bitter and mean, and she held no fondness for Iesteth's "soft-heartedness." As if a healer ought to be cold to their patients! Tauriel thought her sister had a much better philosophy than Gailien.</p><p>"Are you <em>quite</em> done?" Gailien snapped. Truly, Tauriel didn't know what it was that Orelon saw in her; he'd been chasing after her for months now, with no sign of her relenting to his foolishness.</p><p>Midhel would've marched right up and dragged her brother away, apologizing to Gailien for the trouble, but Tauriel was not Midhel. She stopped Úrphen from approaching immediately—let Orelon torment Gailien a little longer. She deserved it.</p><p>"What're we gonna do with him?" Úrphen asked as Orelon continued to warble on.</p><p>Tauriel shrugged. "We could leave him here. He seems to be having a good time."</p><p>"He's almost entirely nude in a public square," Úrphen said. "He <em>will</em> get in trouble with someone worse than us, or Gailien, if we don't do something."</p><p>She sighed. "Fine. If we can't find Midhel, I suppose we must take him along with us. Perhaps he knows where Ríros has wandered off too—I don't see <em>my</em> brother anywhere." She nudged her friend. "Go on, your turn."</p><p>They made a rude gesture to her, but squared their shoulders and marched forward.</p><p>"Orelon, this is unseemly," they informed him. "Get your clothes back on."</p><p>He broke off from his song with a pout. "Left 'em at the fountain..."</p><p>"Where I found them." Úrphen tossed the bundle of still-wet fabric at him. Orelon caught it, then promptly dropped it. "Go on, get dressed and leave poor Gailien alone."</p><p>"<em>Thank</em> you," Gailien said primly. "At least <em>someone</em> in the Guard has manners, even if you're drunk, too."</p><p>"Not <em>that</em> drunk," Tauriel protested despite herself.</p><p>Gailien sneered at her. "You keep telling yourself that, darling. Perhaps your sister can sober you up with her bedside manner."</p><p>Tauriel swore at her, but a glare from Úrphen stopped her from chasing after Gailien as she departed. She settled for kicking Orelon in the shin as he stumbled back into his tunic.</p><p>"Owwww," he complained. "What was that for?"</p><p>"Getting my little brother drunk and <em>losing</em> him while you chased after an elleth who will never return your feelings," she informed him. "Where did Ríros go?"</p><p>"Dunno." Orelon winced. "And please don' shout..."</p><p>"I'll shout as much as I want!" Tauriel cried. "What if he's gone and got himself hurt?"</p><p>"Probably wandered home," Orelon muttered.</p><p>"We need to get <em>you</em> home," Úrphen said, elbowing him.</p><p>"Our place is on the way to yours," Tauriel said. "C'mon, Orelon."</p><p>Orelon promptly decided he was too weak to walk any further, for all he had been full of life and song only moments before. Tauriel and Úrphen each slung one of his arms over their shoulders and supported him between them, letting him mumble love songs under his breath as they trudged from the square to the residential area of the Elvenking's massive tree-bound, stonewrought halls.</p><p>By the time they arrived at the home Tauriel shared with her family, Orelon had suckered them into singing along with him. They caused such a ruckus that Gwelonir opened the door to them before they could knock, a bemused smile twitching at his lips.</p><p>"Welcome home, Tauriel," he said, ushering them inside. "It's good to see you, Úrphen, Orelon."</p><p>"Ríros has gone missing," Úrphen informed him, and Gwelonir paled.</p><p>"What?!" he demanded. "Out in the forest? He's too young to be left alone—"</p><p>"I agree," Tauriel grumbled, "but it's not nearly that serious. He and Orelon and Glándir were out drinking, but Glándir fell asleep and Orelon got distracted by that awful elleth he's in love with—"</p><p>"She's <em>wonderful</em>," said Orelon dreamily; he seemed to be halfway asleep himself.</p><p>Gwelonir relaxed, patting Orelon on the back. "I'll get you settled here for the night," he said. "Tauriel, please go find your brother—even if it's not so serious, I <em>am</em> worried about him."</p><p>"Of course!" Tauriel exclaimed. "We were hoping he'd come home, but..."</p><p>"No, I haven't seen him since you took the Guard out on a hunt earlier this week," Gwelonir said. "I must say, it's been awfully lonely here without the children, and Hithwen still away on her field trip to Rhosgobel..."</p><p>"What about Iesteth?" Tauriel asked.</p><p>Gwelonir shrugged. "She said she was going to visit Midhel a few days ago, and she didn't come back. I thought Midhel was out in the forest with you, but, well...she's a grown elleth."</p><p>Tauriel blinked. Midhel <em>had</em> been out in the forest...and Iesteth had not suddenly joined them halfway through their hunt.</p><p>"Is she planning on finally making a move?" Úrphen guessed.</p><p>Tauriel snorted. "They've been pining after one another for over a decade—it's about <em>time</em>."</p><p>"We'll check Midhel's home next," Úrphen said. "We can take Orelon with us...?"</p><p>"No, no," Gwelonir dismissed, helping Orelon onto a couch. "He'll be fine here—and I'll be ready to help with his headache when he wakes." He gave them a pointed look. "Perhaps you should also spend the night, Úrphen."</p><p>"I'm not drunk," they scoffed, but Gwelonir only laughed.</p>
<hr/><p>Midhel's home was only a few minutes' walk from Tauriel's; walking home together after Guard training had been what cemented her and Tauriel's friendship. It was odd that Midhel had not taken Tauriel up on the offer to get drinks with her and Legolas earlier that night, and Tauriel vaguely wondered if she was perhaps not feeling well.</p><p>It had been a long time since Tauriel felt the need to knock before entering Midhel's home. She burst in, calling out, "Midhel? Have you seen my siblings? <em>Both</em> of them have managed to get themselves lost—"</p><p>A shriek across the room stopped her in her tracks. Midhel hurriedly threw a blanket over—was that <em>Iesteth</em>? And—were they both <em>naked</em>?</p><p>"Ahh!" Tauriel cried, turning and running away with her face in her hands. "Nevermind, nevermind!</p><p>Úrphen followed at a more leisurely pace, laughing at her as they loped along. "That answers where Iesteth went," they quipped. "I was right—she was preparing to confess her feelings!"</p><p>Tauriel grimaced: she could congratulate her sister and her best friend later, when they weren't...<em>occupied</em> with one another. "And it answers where Midhel went," she muttered. "No wonder you couldn't find her earlier!"</p><p>"We've found everyone but Ríros, now," Úrphen said, rubbing their eyes. "I hope he's just passed out somewhere inconvenient, like Glándir...I don't know if I'm up for much more wild adventure tonight."</p><p>"You're staying with me until we find him," Tauriel grumbled. "I helped you find <em>your</em> brother."</p><p>"I'm not going anywhere," Úrphen assured her.</p><p><em>Where</em> could Ríros have gone? It couldn't be far; he hadn't been missing for <em>that</em> long. He wasn't by the taverns, or in the square, or the residential area, and there weren't many other places near enough where he could've been lost.</p><p>"There's always the dungeons?" Úrphen suggested, absently rebraiding a strand of their hair. "With the practice puzzles?"</p><p>Tauriel snorted. "Ríros <em>loves</em> puzzles. He mastered all of them before he turned a hundred."</p><p>"But he's drunk now," Úrphen pointed out. "I think it's worth a look."</p><p>"But then <em>we</em> have to do the puzzles," Tauriel pointed out.</p><p>Úrphen grinned. "We're drunk, too. It'll be <em>fun</em>."</p><p>Tauriel rolled her eyes. "If we get stuck too, it's <em>your</em> fault," she informed them.</p><p>"I'll take my chances!"</p>
<hr/><p>Before Thranduil closed the Greenwood's borders to outsiders, the dungeons had once been an actual prison. But nowadays, there weren't many rule-breakers to imprison, and no trespassers the Guard couldn't turn away, so in a fit of boredom Thranduil had ordered the dungeons to be renovated into puzzle games.</p><p>It was a good way to train new recruits, and every hundred years or so they were reorganized into new puzzles. The current puzzles were due for a rehaul, in Tauriel's opinion, and even in their inebriated state it only took her and Úrphen a half hour to crack the first one. The second one was even less of a challenge—and soon they heard a familiar voice warbling out a melancholy tune.</p><p>Tauriel would know that voice anywhere. "<em>Ríros</em>!" she cried, stumbling forward. "D'you know how long I've been looking for you?"</p><p>She rounded the corner and stopped abruptly. Her little brother sat behind prison bars, nursing a swollen ankle, a guilty expression frozen across his face.</p><p>"Tauriel?" he said hopefully.</p><p>"What have you done to yourself this time?" she demanded.</p><p>He looked around. "Well...I'm stuck in this cell?"</p><p>"This isn't part of the puzzle, you idiot," Tauriel exclaimed. "Úrphen—do you have the keys?"</p><p>"Why would I have the keys?" Úrphen said. "Young ellon, you're in trouble."</p><p>Ríros pouted. "Do I have to be? I twisted my ankle, isn't that trouble enough?"</p><p>"I'm gonna tell Gwelonir not to give you any of his headache medicine tomorrow morning," Tauriel grumbled, undoing her hair clasp and bending it into a makeshift lockpick. "Elbereth's elbows, Ríros, how did you even get in here?"</p><p>"It was open?" he offered. "I think? It's kind of a blur, to be honest."</p><p>"What did Orelon convince you to drink?" Úrphen drawled, crossing their arms and watching Tauriel work at the lock. "That awful stuff his uncle brews?"</p><p>"It was <em>Glándir</em>'s idea," Ríros said. "He dared me!"</p><p>"He's in trouble, too," Úrphen informed him.</p><p>The lock clicked. "Aha!" Tauriel exclaimed, stepping aside to let the door swing open. "There we go."</p><p>"I can't walk," Ríros whined.</p><p>Tauriel lifted him out of the cell and slung him unceremoniously over her shoulder. She wasn't quite as strong as Legolas, but Ríros was a lightweight in more ways than one. He yelped and complained all the way home, but Tauriel was <em>not</em> in the mood to listen to him. Úrphen helped her out of the dungeons and bade her farewell— "And <em>thank</em> you!"—leaving brother and sister to trudge back home.</p><p>"But you had fun, right?" Ríros said hopefully when she at last set him down on their doorstep. Gwelonir ushered them inside and coddled her baby brother in blankets, and Tauriel rolled her eyes.</p><p>"It was certainly more exciting to chase you around than a quiet night with Legolas would've been," she admitted. "But you owe me one, Ríros."</p><p>He beamed and pulled her down into an embrace. "Thanks for helping me out," he mumbled into her hair, just as fiery red as his own. "I'm glad I've got a sister like you, Tau."</p><p>She tugged at his braids until he squeaked, then tickled him 'til he couldn't breathe, mostly to avoid having to say something sappy in return.</p><p>"Behave, children," Gwelonir tutted, but a smile tugged at his lips. "You're already going to be hurting in the morning!"</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>RELATIONSHIPS:</p><p>Ríros Orchalion: JazTheBard’s OC; Tauriel’s little brother<br/>Arasseth: Tauriel and Ríros’ birth mother; Merilon’s wife; deceased<br/>Merilon Orchal: Tauriel and Ríros’ birth father; Arasseth’s husband; deceased<br/>In Jaz’s fic, Ríros and Tauriel’s parents are Orchal and Cordovel, some wonderful lesbians, but I had to tweak his backstory to fit into my pre-existing Mirkwood Cinematic Universe. (Not that this MCU is really internally consistent, but you know)</p><p>Hithwen: Tauriel and Ríros’ foster mother, Iesteth’s mother, Gwelonir’s wife; a healer<br/>Gwelonir: Tauriel and Ríros’ foster father, Iesteth’s father, Hithwen’s husband; a healer<br/>Iesteth: Tauriel and Ríros’ older foster sister, Hithwen and Gwelonir’s daughter, Midhel’s sweetheart; a healer<br/>Gailien: a healer; unfriendly to Tauriel and Iesteth; the object of Orelon’s affections (she does not reciprocate)</p><p>Midhel: Tauriel’s best friend and second in command; part of the Guard; Orelon’s older sister; Iesteth’s sweetheart<br/>Orelon: part of the Guard; Midhel’s little brother; crushing on Gailien<br/>Úrphen: part of the Guard; nonbinary and uses they/them pronouns; Glándir’s older sibling<br/>Glándir: part of the Guard; friends with Legolas in particular; Úrphen’s little brother<br/>Garaveth: Captain of the Guard (before Tauriel, who is only a lieutenant at this point)</p><p>Mirkwood’s dungeons being puzzles/escape rooms is also borrowed from Jaz’s fic :)</p><p>~</p><p>Thanks for reading, and please comment if you enjoyed!<br/>You can find me on tumblr <a href="http://arofili.tumblr.com/">@arofili</a>, and check out the <a href="http://tolkiengenweek.tumblr.com/">Tolkien Gen Week</a> blog too!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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